The dust has settled on one of the greatest nights in the history of St Johnstone – even by the Perth club’s recent lofty standards.
Eric Nicolson picks out five talking points following Saints’ first-ever Scottish Cup victory against Rangers as they contemplate two more games for a domestic double.
1 Callum Davidson is Scotland’s manager of the year, not Steven Gerrard
It wasn’t the ‘Rangers reserves’ this time.
Steven Gerrard made no attempt to water down the importance of Sunday evening’s cup quarter-final.
He laid it on the line by resting a number of his star men at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday and his pre-match comments didn’t leave room for an ‘it was all about the league’ escape clause either.
It has been a superb achievement to secure Rangers the Premiership title in ‘The Ten’ season for Celtic, probably going through the whole campaign unbeaten in doing so.
But falling short in both domestic cup competitions does more than just take a bit of icing and a couple of cherries off the cake.
For one thing, it tips the manager of the year scales in favour of the boss who was a few yards along the touchline from him at Ibrox.
Beating Rangers on their own pitch in the last eight of a competition the runaway league champions were desperate to win elevates Saints’ and their head coach’s season to a new plane.
Even if they go no further, one cup triumph and a semi-final in the other with the smallest squad in the league and one of the smallest budgets is a greater accomplishment than winning a two-horse race and being dumped out of the knock-out tournaments before the semis.
Davidson made his name as a player who burst onto the scene from relative obscurity and was lured down south for big money soon after. It would be no surprise if his managerial career follows a similar path.
A boss who improves players, drills their duties into them, keeps fringe men involved and motivated, is tactically razor-sharp, wins big games and a trophy/trophies and has pedigree in international and English top-flight football will be in demand.
2 What (and where) next for Ali McCann?
While we’re on the subject of being in demand, no grounded Saints fan will expect to have Ali McCann at their club for any longer than one more season.
Even that is being optimistic, I suspect.
Like it or loathe it, starring against the Old Firm in a high profile match can prove to be the difference between a club swithering about making a bid and actually putting their money on the table.
McCann is 21, the same age as Davidson when Blackburn Rovers signed him.
And he’s just as equipped to make the next step in his career as his manager was in the late 90s. Maybe more so.
The young man is already a first choice for his country unlike Davidson at the equivalent stage, and is also already one of the most complete midfielders in the country of his birth that shamefully ignored his talents.
In Northern Ireland terms, it felt like a changing of the guard when McCann came up against, and bettered, the legendary Steven Davis on Sunday. The symbolism of the apprentice stealing the ball off the master’s toes early on was inescapable.
Breaking up play, passing long and short, box to box energy, eye for a goal – he’s got the lot. His sliding tackle on Ryan Kent was one of the highlights of the match.
I’m sure Saints supporters would rather McCann followed Davidson’s career route and headed across the border, only returning north if it is to Perth at the end of his career.
But Gerrard knows an elite central midfielder when he sees one and learning from, then replacing, the most capped UK footballer in history for club and country, has football logic to it.
So too would McCann succeeding Scott Brown at Parkhead. You don’t get the Brown snarl and intimidation from the Edinburgh boy whose family has a remarkable sporting story.
But you get everything else.
Whoever comes in for him in the summer – don’t have the cheek to start the bidding anywhere below the £3 million Celtic paid for David Turnbull.
3 Zander Clark for Scotland
I can’t see Steve Clarke changing his mind on Jason Kerr and Shaun Rooney in time for the European Championships.
And I fear he has also made up his mind on his three goalkeepers (a phone call to Allan McGregor the only leftfield possibility).
But that doesn’t make it right that a Rangers reserve keeper (Jon McLaughin) should be selected as third in line ahead of the form Scot in the Premiership.
The dramatic assist for Chris Kane’s equaliser has raised Zander Clark’s profile but it was his ‘day job’ work that should really have caught the national head coach’s eye.
Now see this. This is football.
The hunger, the desire, the fight, the passion, that never say die attitude.
Don't let anyone ever try and tell or show you different!
Perth St Johnstone underestimated since 1884 💙#SJFC pic.twitter.com/zcNBiTfWBN
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) April 26, 2021
Apart from the penalty he gave away at Dens Park and the disallowed goal that preceded it, Clark has barely made a mistake in months.
He was calm and dependable without being overly tested in the Betfred Cup semi-final and final and heroic at Ibrox.
There was the full repertoire of saves.
Clark actually commanded his box more impressively than player of the year contender, McGregor, who was rooted to the spot for the Saints leveller.
And at McDiarmid Park a few days earlier McLaughlin looked the rusty, back-up goalie he is.
You could actually make a case that Clark is currently out-performing David Marshall and Craig Gordon.
I’m not saying he should leapfrog those two – that would be a gamble too far given he’d be an international rookie.
But a call-up as Scotland’s number three would be thoroughly deserved.
4 The Murray Davidson fairytale ending
“What I’ve said to him is we still have the Scottish Cup. Hopefully he can use what’s happened for the rest of his career and help us get to another final at some point.”
The man saying it might not have fully believed it at the time, and the man hearing it might not have been in the right frame of mind to take it in.
But Callum Davidson’s words of encouragement for Murray Davidson in the wake of the latter’s Betfred Cup heartache certainly don’t look hollow now.
This is the week the midfielder is due to resume full training, having been sidelined since early February.
It would be overly optimistic perhaps to expect him back in the match day squad at Easter Road this Saturday but the following weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final will be in the former Livingston man’s his sights.
His long-time team-mate doing the same on May 22 would match it.
5 The loan Ranger may get his cup chance at last
As well as for Davidson, the quarter-final victory also opens up possibilities for Glenn Middleton.
He’ll never say it of course, but Saints beating his parent club was the result he needed.
Middleton couldn’t feature in the Betfred Cup final as he had played for Rangers at an earlier stage but he will now be available for what’s left of the Scottish.
Mind you, with the way Michael O’Halloran performed when he came off the bench at Ibrox (forcing that late corner was every bit as important as the contributions of Craig, Kane and Clark thereafter) it will be no easy task for Middleton to get Hampden game-time.